RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Beverly Perdue said Wednesday that she has asked administration officials to go back and find more programs to cut in the face of the $2 billion shortfall in the state budget.

Perdue has received a list of options for a seven percent budget reduction for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The list includes at least $470 million in cuts.

But Perdue said she was not satisfied with the cuts that had been recommended, most of which were across-the-board cuts. She asked that the departments identify more programs that can be eliminated altogether.

"They have sent me a list of what the 7 percent would look like," Perdue told reporters after speaking to a Raleigh breakfast sponsored by Lillian's List, a pro choice women's group.

"I have specifically asked [budget officials] for some programmatic cuts, not just across the board," Perdue said. "This looks to me like a lot of across-the-board cuts. I find it hard to believe that there are not things that could be eliminated."

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